As elections are approaching, presidential campaigns are heating up with five candidates competing to be the next President of the Student Government Association. Now they discuss future goals, leadership experience and campaign platforms.
How would you describe your platform in one sentence?
Aristotle Orsini: “Bringing a voice back to the student body.”
Beckham Schell: “I feel like that really distills down to just being honest and I think that’s something that is one of my driving principles is being honest and having candor with the greater student body.”
Bruce Bigler: “I’m running to reignite TU by fighting for student experience & pushing our university to live up to the ambition & excellence of its students.”
Harish Vaithianathan: “My platform is ‘One TU. We do it together.’ A commitment to unifying students, student organizations and SGA so collective effort turns into visible, campus-wide results.”
Jake Stalb: “I will restore our university to its former status as a pillar of free expression, free-flowing student-to-administration discourse, and lively events that draw in current and prospective students.”
What do you hope to accomplish or change if elected?
Aristotle Orsini: “I will find more funding for the clubs that need it to travel or host events. I will fight to increase the transparency of both SGA and the TU Administration. I will streamline SGA and ensure that more time is spent on the issues students care about, rather than bickering over pointless issues every week.”
Beckham Schell: “My number one goal is working with student organizations to fix the fundraising budget freeze. My plan is to work with our student advisor, Peter Nguyen, and also work with Jeff Nevins [CFO], personally. I want to go into his office and be like, ‘Hey, so let’s figure this out.’ And also just working with the treasurers for each student organization to make sure that doesn’t occur again and we’re not unexpectedly blindsided. Another focus is the Honors College. I really enjoyed my time in the Honors College and I want to continue to see it thrive. So I really want to push working with the Honors College and try to get it back to where it once was.”
Bruce Bigler: “Increased interaction between different corners of campus. Greek, multicultural, religious, & academic organizations often keep to themselves & students find themselves confined to a limited circle. By creating a new cabinet position & utilizing SGA’s resources & outreach, I believe we can bring campus much closer together. Restored funding for campus life. Students have borne the brunt of the budget cuts, seeing a significant decrease in the support we’ve received to put on events & take advantage of our student experience. I hope to restore funding to pre-budget-cut levels by working with the new administration BEFORE the budget is set in May & personally raising support from alumni & donors. Reigniting TU. In the past, TU has been characterized by our clear vision for the future: recruiting some of the brightest students in the nation, building a thriving honors college, & pursuing long-term growth. That ambition has been replaced by (what feels like) a goal of simply staying afloat. We need to set real, concrete goals for our university & pursue them relentlessly.”
Harish Vaithianathan: “First, I want to create clear, predictable systems for student organizations: published funding timelines, consistent promotion for org[anization] events, and known points of contact within SGA. While planning and hosting events like Soup Soirée and working on large cultural programs, I saw how often student leaders operate under uncertainty, unsure when funding will be approved, whether events will be promoted, or who to follow up with. That uncertainty is preventable. Second, I want to make cross-organization collaboration easier by default. Many org[anization]s want to work together but lack a structured way to connect. I plan to support an SGA-facilitated outreach and liaison system so collaboration doesn’t depend on personal networks or luck. Finally, I want student voice to be visible and accountable. When students raise concerns, they should be able to see what SGA is working on and what progress is being made, using a published public project tracker. Listening only matters if it leads to action students can track.”
Jake Stalb: “I plan on continuing to regularly meet with administration weekly (as I have for the past two years) but with added pressure for transparency with the student body. Administration has been withholding valuable information on university policy aims, leadership, and finances. Under my Presidency, I will negotiate with administration and reach a compromise that benefits students, faculty, and administration. Additionally, I seek to protect first amendment rights across all corners of the political spectrum. Our administration has cracked down on a variety of free speech issues, many of which were not resolved correctly. As President, I will defend the freedom of students to think, discuss, and express their leanings in a way that promotes positive and respectful discourse across campus.”
What is one quality you hope to embody as a leader & why?
Aristotle Orsini: “I want to be a leader for the people, because that’s what a president’s job should be. I don’t care about what this position will do for me, I care about what I can do in this position for the student body.”
Beckham Schell: “I think I kind of already touched on this, but just honesty. Being honest is my number one priority. As vice president, I have had the experience of being a leader, but that also comes with being honest. I’m kind of in a limbo between the executive and legislative branches in SGA, so I try to see myself as a bridge between them and focus on being an honest leader and giving honest feedback. Like, ‘Hey, this is what the chairs are saying,’ or ‘This is what’s happening in Senate,’ and ‘These are the problems that they’re seeing.’ That is something I focus on a lot as a leader and I hope to continue as president.”
Bruce Bigler: “Passion. The University needs a leader who is not running as a resume-boost but genuinely sees the potential of TU & its students with a concrete plan to bring that vision to fruition. I hope it is clear to the student body & administration that I am not willing to take no for an answer & will ensure that the needs of students are places at the top of TU’s priority list.”
Harish Vaithianathan: “I want to embody empowerment. Students already have ideas, energy, and concerns, what’s missing isn’t passion, it’s a system that turns that voice into action. I’ve seen students speak up, organize, and care deeply, only to feel like their momentum stops once it reaches administration. As SGA President, my goal is to amplify and mobilize student voice so it doesn’t fade out, but carries weight. That means creating clear pathways for students and organizations to raise concerns, build coalitions, and see their collective voice translate into visible outcomes. When students act together, their influence is real. Leadership, to me, isn’t about speaking for students, it’s about helping students realize how powerful they are when they move together.”
Jake Stalb: “As President, I will embody Servant Leadership. I lead from the front and support from the back, setting an example while exhibiting my desire to serve alongside my peers. This should not be confused for a static presidency. Rather, my term will be defined through massive, constructive, future-oriented change.”
What experience(s) do you feel qualifies you for this position?
Aristotle Orsini: “I am currently serving on SGA’s Judicial Council, I served as student body president in secondary school, and I have a proven track record of fighting for student voices such as with the Hurricane Against Hern movement.”
Beckham Schell: “Each week I meet with the Provost and with President Ransom and that’s where I’ve done a lot of my advocating. That’s how we were able to get a fall break. That was a coordinated effort started by President Ransom last year, but I would go to the meetings with her and argue for why a fall break is needed. I’ve also been able to talk with the Dean of Students a lot. I met with Interim President Dickson along with President Ransom, and I’ve also been working with the general council and board members as well. I’ve been able to attend Board Meetings, and have expressed my opinions in these meetings. So it’s like, I’ve had that experience of being in the rooms where other administrators are and talking to them, having an amicable working relationship with them.”
Bruce Bigler: “As SGA Chief Elections Officer, I have significantly bolstered elections integrity & increased transparency through publicizing elections filing & endorsements. We overhauled the elections code, simplifying every step of the process to focus more on best representing students, successfully eliminating petty violations with severe consequences. As a result, the 3 elections I presided over saw not a single substantiated election code violation. Throughout my college career, I served as president of a nationwide organization of 6,000+ students aimed at leadership & civic-education. I worked closely with CEOs, traveled to 22 states, & persistently defended student voices. On campus, I’ve had experience as president, secretary, treasurer, & member of numerous organizations. From Two-Step to Best Buddies to TUTV & beyond, I understand the needs of organizations personally.”
Harish Vaithianathan: “I’ve learned leadership by standing where students already are and helping them move forward together. Planning and emceeing TU’s largest cultural events, Mock Mehndi, Diwali, Moon Festival, and Lunar New Year, meant carrying the responsibility of representing multiple communities at once, coordinating dozens of moving parts, and making sure every group felt respected and included. Those moments taught me how to lead in public, under pressure, and with people watching, not just speak about leadership in theory. Beyond the stage, initiatives like Soup Soirée showed me how much power student organizations have when they’re connected. I’ve worked across groups with different missions, timelines, and needs, and I’ve seen firsthand how collaboration turns isolated effort into campus-wide impact. My time working within SGA and Cabinet gave me the other half of the picture, how decisions are actually made, why progress sometimes stalls, and where student voice gets lost between good intentions and real action. Being recognized as a Top Ten Freshman wasn’t the goal; it was the result of stepping up early, building trust quickly, and following through. Taken together, these experiences have prepared me to lead with steadiness, to unite people with different perspectives, and to turn momentum into outcomes. That combination, credibility with students and fluency with the institution, is what I would bring to the role of SGA President.”
Jake Stalb: “At the University of Tulsa, I have served as a Peer Mentor, a Housing Manager, President of our Pre-Law Society, as a senator, and currently as Chief of Staff for our Student Government Association. Each of these roles have prepared me to work closely with highly diverse teams of people, how to appease the interests of large numbers of students, and how to lead with compassion, understanding, motivation, and excitement.”
Final remarks/Why should the student body vote for you?*
Aristotle Orsini:”I have the utmost respect for my opponents, but each of them has served in the executive of the current SGA administration, which has failed to properly represent its students. They have done great work in their positions, but it’s time for a change. I am offering a new style of leadership that places the student body at the front and center, and I am committed to that change.”
Beckham Schell: “I want to earn the student body’s support. I don’t think just being Vice President that I need to become president. I know a lot of candidates, like, when they first came into SGA they were like, ‘I want to be SGA president.’ That’s great. But, I’ve had to reflect on my experience, like am I the best candidate? And so I thought about it. I was like, ‘Do I think I can support the student body in the best way?’ And after that self-reflection, I determined that I am the best candidate, and that I want to earn the student body’s trust, and I want to be their next president. So I think that’s going back to honesty and just being honest with the student body about who I am and what I actually want to do and showing that I have substance behind my goals. That’s my number one thing. I don’t want to just sit up here and serve platitudes. Like how are we actually gonna do it? That’s why I want to talk to the CFO about student funds. That’s why I want to talk to the Provost about the Honors College. These are all things that I want to do, and these are actionable items that I see that I can fulfill.”
Bruce Bigler: “The university needs a President who believes in TU. I have seen the excellence that we are capable of & will not rest until we fulfill that great potential With a clear vision, relentless passion, & concrete plan, we are unstoppable. Let’s reignite TU together.”
Harish Vaithianathan: “This election isn’t about choosing a name, it’s about choosing the kind of campus we want to be. TU is full of students who care deeply, organize relentlessly, and show up for one another every day. What’s been missing isn’t effort or passion, it’s unity, we need leadership that brings that energy together and carries it forward. I’m running because I believe student voice becomes powerful when it’s unified, visible, and backed by action. When students speak together, when organizations move together, when leadership stands with them instead of ahead of them, change stops being symbolic and starts becoming real. I’m not asking for your vote to lead alone. I’m asking for it so we can lead together, with clarity, with conviction, and with the confidence that when we stand up as one campus, our voice will be heard and taken seriously. That’s the future I’m committed to building, and that’s why I’m asking for your support.”
Jake Stalb: “The University needs to change—we have strayed away from what it means to be a Tulsa Hurricane. Students are kept in the dark, needs are not being met, the scale of events is shrinking, and students cannot freely express and discuss their views. I am confident that I am the only candidate who will reverse this regression. My close connections with members of administration put me in an advantageous position to enact lasting change. With your support, we will Take Back Tulsa.”
*Students will be able to vote in SGA elections via Harvey (Blackboard) Monday Feb. 16 from 9am through Tuesday Feb. 17 at 9pm. Students will go to Harvey homepage, click organizations and scroll down to “Student Government Association.” There will be one form to cast votes for senators, and a second link to vote in executive elections, in which ballots will employ a ranked choice voting system.
